


Family Time #1: Scout

by InvaderIpod



Series: Family Time: TF2 AU [1]
Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: AU, Daddy Fortress, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-15
Updated: 2014-12-18
Packaged: 2018-03-01 15:23:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 10,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2778089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InvaderIpod/pseuds/InvaderIpod
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>[This story is the first story in the Family Time series based off of the Daddy Fortress AU by tumblr-user paperfrays]<br/>Scout spends time with his long lost child, Melissa, at Red Base. Hilarity and endearing awkwardness ensues.<br/>Mostly awkwardness.<br/>[STORY COMPLETE]</p><p>[IMPORTED FROM WATTPAD]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So you may have seen this story on WattPad as well, I just want to clarify I am the same writer from on there.  
> Ok good? Enjoy!

(So this is an AU idea that I adore. I am going to try to do one for every merc if I can. I apologize for the short chapters, but I'm a busy person who doesn't even get to touch a computer most days [I use my tablet and phone to fill aformentioned void] and I am trying my hardest.)

(Also, I don't write Spy or Medic with their accents incorporated into their words. It throws me off.)

“So Ms. Pauling, did my ma ever call back?”

Ms. Pauling sat in front of the video screen, flipping through papers and organizing files, “Yes, she did, but- “

“So is she gonna come this weekend or not?” Scout leaned back in the office chair situated by the phone.

“Yes, she is, but she had-”

“Oh man, this is gonna be great! She’s gonna flip when she sees what I got planned-”

“Scout!!!”

“-What? What?!”

Calming down, Ms. Pauling grabbed a stack of letters sitting beside her, “Scout, your mom has been sending us your mail. Some of this stuff has been sitting there for almost 6 years.”

“6 years? Who the hell has been sending me mail for 6 years??”

“Does the name ‘Janet Donahue’ spark any memories?” She raised the letter up to the camera.

“Janet… hmm… I dated a Janet in high school, but that was… years ago.” he began to ponder; he hadn’t seen Janet since graduation, which was almost 7 years ago, “Did you read any of those letters?”

“No, but I can,” she tore open the most recent letter, a few small papers slipping out of the envelope. These weren’t just papers though, they were photos, “Um… Scout? I think you should look at these for yourself…”

“What? Why? What does it say?”

She held the largest of the photos up to the screen; it was a still of a young woman and a little girl both dressed in baseball uniforms. If memory served him, he could tell the older woman was Janet, but the girl…

“She says her name is Melissa,” Ms. Pauling put the photo down and looked at Scout once more, “Scout… That little girl is your daughter.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so the real story begins!

Daughter. DAUGHTER. A human being composed of half of his genetic make-up. His very own flesh and blood- HIS DAUGHTER? The conversation concluded with Ms. Pauling informing Scout that his ma would be bringing his long lost child with her this weekend when she came to visit. Wonderful.

He sat there for what felt like hours assessing the situation. It was unfathomable to him. It couldn’t have been- NO. IT COULDN’T BE. The Graduation party at Ricky Moore’s house, Scout remembered now. That was the night he lost his virginity. He never really “counted” that night because everyone was so drunk, but he remembered going with Janet to the back bedroom and taking off her shirt. The rest was a blur. A big, fat, hazy, stupid blur. He was mortified, he couldn’t even be slightly proud that he got someone on the first try. He prayed that it was a misunderstanding… a mistake… that Janet was the sluttiest virgin ever and she had sex with someone else that night, he would’ve taken anything! Give ‘em armies of robot clones in the middle of the desert, give ‘em sentient bread filled with radioactive tumors, give ‘em a suitcase filled with TNT, but don’t give him this!

There was a knock at the door, “Scout?! Did you break the phone AGAIN?!” it was the Spy. He barged in without an invitation, ready to shoot the pathetic merc in the head for busting the speaker in the telephone for the third time this month, but much to his surprise nothing was broken. “Well, I hope I wasn’t interrupting something!” He turned away to laugh boisterously, expecting the young merc to retort with a sub-par insult.

But there was nothing.

“You look glum, what’s the matter? Did the phone sex operator put you on hold again?” He guffawed loudly awaiting Scout’s reply to no avail, “Oh lighten up, that was a good line.”

Scout hadn’t even recognized Spy’s presence until that moment, “Huh? Oh, yeah… good… good one.”

“Not that I care all that much,” Spy wheeled over another office chair and took a seat, “but why so glum, dear comrade?” he pulled from his breast pocket a fresh cigarette and lit it up.

No use in hiding it, Scout figured, “I just found out today… that I’m a dad.” it almost hurt to say it aloud.

The Spy didn’t even pause to take a drag from his cigarette, he too was in disbelief, “...You? A FATHER? Scout, you can barely find your way to the right base most days!”

“Yeah, yeah, make your jokes.” he scoffed.

“I apologize, but it is the truth.”

“Okay, enough! … My ma is visiting this weekend and she’s bringin’ her along…”

A ring of smoke escaped the Spy’s lips, “Her?”

“Melissa… my daughter.” those words made him want to gag, how could he let this happen?

“A daughter, eh?” He drummed his finger on the side of the chair, “How does Ms. Pauling feel about this?”

“I don’t know- look, it was back in high school, okay?! It was a party and we were drunk and I didn’t know what I was doing!” Scout clenched his fists, “I just-”

“You must not have any regrets.” Spy put his hand on his shoulder, “You cannot change what happened that day, no one can. You will have to face the choices you made for the rest of your life, the very least you can do is make the best of it.”

As much as he hated to believe anything the Spy said, he was right.


	3. Chapter 2

At an hour too ungodly to state, the Scout arrived at the airport to greet his family. The fact that it was his ‘family’ and not just his ‘ma’ meeting him today still made him squirm. The night he found out, he drank four crates of beer from the Demoman’s private reserve. He ranted and raved to his comrades in his alcohol-induced craze about the whole situation. It didn’t last long before the Medic (using a tranquilizer made for horses) sedated him and relieved the men from his drunken whining.

A hell of a hangover, no doubt. The mere thought of it made him dizzy.

Crowds of people filled the space around him almost instantly. It came in waves; from no crowd to no room, no crowd for a little while, then no more room again. He had sat through about three or four waves before he saw his mom emerge from the terminal to his immediate left.

“Scout! My baby boy, it’s been so long!” she scuttled over to him in her red high heels and lavish coat.

“Ma, it’s the middle of summer, what are you wearing?”

She backed up and looked at her outfit, “OH! I forgot I was wearing this! Don’t you love it though? My beau bought it for me.”

“Your what?”

“Oh Scouty-Poo, you’re going to love him! He’s tall, dark and HANDSOME. Not to mention he has an accent that drives me CRAZY.”

An accent, eh? She couldn’t have been talking about-

“He’s going to meet with us after breakfast, then you and Mel- ah shit, where’d she go now?!” Scout’s ma scanned the area, hoping her young companion had just wandered into a souvenir shop or a cafe or something, “Goddamnit. I swear, that girl is worse than you were-”

A small voice came from behind her, “Someone knocked off my hat… I had to go find it…”

“Oh, thank GOD!” She leaned down to the child’s level, “Now what have I told you about wandering off?”

The little girl didn’t answer, her eyes were fixed on the stranger behind her.

“Are you even listening- oh! Duh.” She ushered the child forward, “Scout, this is Melissa… Did your secretary friend tell you-”

“Yes. She did.” something about hearing Ms. Pauling being referred to as his ‘secretary friend’ rubbed him the wrong way. He looked down at the girl, “I uh… I guess-... It’s nice to finally meet you…” It would have been had he known about her existence for more than three days.

Melissa looked at the bags she was carrying, then back at her ‘father’, “We match…”

Now that she mentioned it, they were. She was wearing a red t-shirt, black shorts and hat just like Scout did every single day… “I guess we do…” that hat she was wearing, though, “Ma, is that my hat from high school-”

“I hope you don’t mind, she saw it in your room the first time she came over and, well, she hasn’t taken it off since!” She patted her granddaughter on the head, as if it would help make the situation any less awkward, “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go get some breakfast! Scout will carry our bags, won’t you dear?”

“Of course, Ma. No problem.” he grumbled.

“Oh don’t be such a baby. You’re setting a bad example for Mel.”

Oh NOW he was setting a bad example. What ever made her think that he’d be a good example? Did she forget that her son was a trained killer for a living? Or how about the fact that he made his high school girlfriend a mother before she got a chance to go to college?

If his mom really wanted to set a good example, she would have never brought Melissa here.

God only knows what that little girl would think if she knew.

…

Little girl.

That was his little girl.

It made him want to vomit.

Or cry.

Or both.

Both is good.


	4. Chapter 3

The Denny’s in Teufort wasn’t particularly fancy; from the inside, you probably wouldn’t even be able to tell it apart from any other Denny’s in existence. The Scout didn’t care much for the ‘upper class lifestyle’ anyway; If the doors aren’t locked, that’s good enough for him.  
And so much for spending the weekend with his mom, she told him shortly after leaving the airport that she’d be going off with her ‘new beau’ so he could spend time with Melissa. Her words specifically were, “I thought it’d be a great idea for Mel to finally get to know her father. You two could bond!”  
Bonding. Great idea. What were they going to bond over? The weather? Scout didn’t know what little girls liked, he didn’t even know what girls his own age liked! And there was NO WAY he was taking her back to Red base with him. The guys would flip!  
Or rather Pyro would fry her alive and then the Medic would experiment with her burned skin and feed it to his birds or something. Either that or Heavy would squash her without even realizing it.   
“Mon cherie, shall we be going?”  
Scout snapped back into reality to find the Blue Spy kissing his mother’s hand.  
“We’ll meet you back here around 7! Love you!”   
And before he could even gather his bearings, his mother and the Spy were gone.  
“Just great.” he slumped over and let his head drop to the table.   
Mel had been doing pretty well about staying quiet, she wasn’t quite sure what to say to begin with. This man looked far too young to be her father and he had barely said a word to her since she got here. “My mommy never really talked about you…”  
 _Yeah? I don’t blame her_ , “She never talked about me?”  
“Well… she said she met you in high school… and that you played baseball,” she pulled a book out of one of her smaller bags and put it on the table, “She showed me this.”  
“Our old yearbook?” Scout flipped it open and looked at all the signatures of his old classmates, the memories all coming back to him. “I remember these guys. We all used to throw big parties on the field after the football players left practice. I remember putting a firecracker in one of the-”   
It totally slipped his mind that he was talking to a 7 year old, “-um… nevermind.” he skimmed the pages until he found his senior portrait, “Ah, there it is. Its’a good picture of me.”  
“Mommy said that you kissed the photographer so you could take a better picture."  
"Oh yeah? What else did she say?"  
"She said it still looked bad." Oh. "And that you look like you're wearing lipstick-"  
"O-K Let's not go into that!" He cleared his throat,  the yearbook quickly, "So uh... What do you want to do today?"  
She pondered, "Well... we're in the desert... are there camels here?"  
"Um, no."  
"Oh..."  
 _I can't believe I'm doing this..._  "We can uh... let's go see what my friends are doing..."  _I am going to regret every single moment of thi_ s,


	5. Chapter 4

Pulling into the garage, Scout finally realized that the entire Red base was an extreme safety hazard. He’d been living there for years, but it wasn’t until he started thinking about his passenger that it dawned on him. They sat in the company vehicle for an extra few minutes while Scout wondered what to do.

He dialed up Ms.Pauling’s number on the car’s built-in phone, “Hey uh, can I get you to cover your ears?”

Mel unbuckled her seatbelt, “Um, sure… but why?”

“I gotta make a phonecall real quick.”

Reluctantly, the girl covered her ears before Ms.Pauling answered the phone.

“Scout, I’m in the middle of something-”

“I brought the kid to the base.”

“You WHAT?” Ms.Pauling dropped the shovel and ran up to the screen, “Are you crazy?!”

“I know, it sounds bad, but I didn’t know what else to do!”

“I can think of a dozen things you could’ve done!”

“I can’t change that now! Please just help me.”

Ms. Pauling sighed heavily, “Okay fine. You can probably sneak her in through the south hall. Cut through respawn and take her to Spy’s room.”

“What? Why should I take her to him?!”

“Who would you suggest?”

Scout went quiet, “Good point.”

“You think you can handle that? Because I have to go.”

“Wait, no-”

The video feed ended there,“Shit.”

Mel moved her hands and looked at him, “Who was she?”

“Ms.Pauling? She’s just a-... just a friend.”

Mel gave him a look, “Just a friend?”

“Look, it doesn’t matter!”

“You like her, though.”

“So what if I do?! She doesn’t like me back…” Scout pulled the keys from the ignition, “And I just don’t…- what am I saying? You’re like 6, what do you know about relationships?”

“7, actually,” she sat up straight and skimmed through her backpack, “And mommy’s had tons of boyfriends,” She pulled out a small photo album, “I took this from her room. It’s got pictures of all her boyfriends. Most of them didn’t like me very much, but they made mommy happy… well, for a little while.”

That little book had every page filled with men of all shapes and sizes holding Janet lovingly. Each one had a post-it note tacked to the photo with a start/end date and the reason they broke up. “Wow.”

“You can read it if you want. I don’t even think she knows I took it.”

Scout took the album from her and put it in his back pocket; it could come in handy, maybe have some tips on what not to do. It was kinda sad how smart this kid actually was, it reminded him of his childhood and how his ma had a new man over every weekend. Every time, he thought to himself, “Maybe he’ll be my dad this time!” but by the time they had left, he knew that wasn’t going to happen… no child should have to endure that.

“Why don’t we go inside?”

\--

Knock, knock.

Knock knock knock.

KNOCK KNOCK

KNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCK-

“Go away!”

“Spy, open the door! It’s important!”

Seething with anger, the Spy flung the door open, knife in one hand and crumpled papers in the other, “If you don’t walk away RIGHT NOW, I will-”

The Scout cleared his throat, gesturing to the young girl standing beside him.

“... What a PLEASANT surprise!” Spy wrapped him arm around Scout in a friendly embrace, “Is this the one you spoke so much about? I am so pleased to meet her.” he pulled him closer as if he were trying to strangle a rabid animal. The Spy whispered to the Scout, “I swear you will regret this.”

Scout smiled hesitantly, “Heh, well uh… This is uh, Melissa…”

Spy released his choke hold and extended his hand, “A true pleasure, Miss Donahue.”

“Uh… thanks…” She shook the taller man’s hand, a thousand questions racing through her mind.

“Spy, do you think you could let her just… hang out in your room? I don’t-”

“What? And keep her from meeting the other men? Nonsense!” he ushered the two down the hall, “I’m sure they’d be more than happy to make her acquaintance!”

Scout glared, “I hate you, Spy.”

“The feeling is mutual, my friend.”


	6. Chapter 5

he commons room was quiet, but surely not for long. Spy, Scout and Mel stood frozen in the doorway, unsure how to confront the situation.

Spy nudged/shoved the Scout forward, “Go on, now.” he sniggered, lighting up a cigarette.

Scout glared at the Spy, holding back the stampede of insults forming in his head. He looked to Mel, hoping that maybe she had something to say, but with no such luck. He sighed heavily, swallowing his pride as he stepped forth, “U-uh, hey guys?”

For once, it seemed, he had everyone’s attention.

“I-I’d like you all to meet Mel here… she’s the one I’ve been talking a-about this past week.”

It was slightly discerning to hear Scout nervous; a boisterous, confident personality such as his rarely ever waivered. The present men looked at eachother, then at the girl, confused yet understanding.

The Medic stepped around the couch and stared at Mel in wide-eyed fascination, “I cannot believe it…” he put his hand on the girl’s shoulder, Scout sweating bullets, “I did not think it was possible! The Scout’s DNA is actually capable of producing a flawless result!”

“Excuse me?!” he growled.

“Yes! Every time I have tried to use your DNA for testing, the whole experiment produces disastrous results! It is amazing to see something that came from you do so well!” Medic danced gleefully around the young girl, “Heavy, you must come see this!”

“I see from here, Doktor,” Heavy stated, face full of sandwich.

“Remind me to take tests before she leaves.”

From the table where the Heavy sat, three birds were perched on the arm of the chair beside him, two of which came fluttering over to Mel.

“I see my birds seem to like you as well!” Medic smiled.

“Whoa whoa, HEY! Get your disease-ridden pigeons away from her!” Scout shooed the doves away. “And there will be no testing on my kid either!”

The Medic scoffed, “I was only going to take some blood samples… and some hair… maybe a kidney…”

“Yeah, not gonna happen.” he ushered her away from the psychotic so-called medical professional. Scout’s glare turned to the Spy, “You are gonna pay for this.”

“I just might, but not before you do.” he gestured to the girl who had wandered across the room, holding Soldier’s beloved shovel.

“Oh shit- NONONONONO PUT THAT BACK-

The east door came off its hinges and fell to the floor with a mighty stomp, “ALRIGHT, YOU FILTHY MAGGOTS, WHO TOUCHED MY SHOVEL?!?!” The Soldier had arrived.

Scout stiffened, “Melissa… put down the shovel slowly…”

Confused, she did not obey.

“Mel, don’t question it, just-”

She carried the shovel around the couch and faced the angry warmonger face to face.

Oh no… Scout couldn’t bear to look.

“... Are you a treasure hunter?” Melissa asked sweetly.

“What?” The Soldier fell out of his attack position.

“You have a shovel and a funny hat… I figured it was for treasure hunting.”

Scout’s face fell into his hands, this couldn’t end well-

“Well of course it is!”

-what?

“This here shove has dug up loads of treasure!!”

“Really?” Mel’s eyes widened, “What kind of treasure??”

“Mostly bones, even whole skeletons!”

“Dinosaur skeletons??”

Scout stepped in, clearing his throat, “I-it’s a secret! RIGHT, SOLDIER?”

“No it’s not. I was just about to tell her about the time I dug for treasure in Spy’s chest-”

“NO, you weren’t. End of questions. Come on, Mel, we should get you back before-”

“Scout! You can’t tell me you will be taking her home before she’s been given the grand tour?” The Spy spoke in a tantalizing voice, as if he were mocking Scout’s new-found parental instinct. Before he could refuse, Spy had already taken Mel’s hand and headed down the hallway, “I’ll take care of this one so you can relax.”

There wasn’t anything relaxing about that filthy backstabber being left alone with a 7-year-old girl. Scout charged after them, but not before the door had been slammed in his face.


	7. Chapter 6

“Hello?! Hello!! Scout?! Anyone?! Let me in!!” Ms.Pauling pounded away at the garage door.

The door rose and she was greeted by none other than the Engineer!, “Ms.Pauling! What a nice surprise!” he smiled, “I was just working on a power boost for the-”

“That’s great and all, but I need to talk to Scout.”

“Sure, I think he’s upstairs-”

“Thank you!” she darted past the mercenary and ran up to the second story of the base.  _I hope I’m not too late…_

The doors to the common room swung open, “Look alive, boys! Your next assignment is in 10 minutes!” Ms. Pauling noticed Scout on the floor beside the door to the hallway, “Scout, you need to get up; you have to get your daughter out of here!”

Scout wasn’t exactly ‘with it’ at the moment; stars and birds were figuratively surrounding him while the rest of the world was a blurry haze.

“Scout, I don’t have time for this!” She grabbed him by the shoulders and spoke firmly, “Scout. Melissa NEEDS TO GET OUT OF RED BASE. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?”

His head was drooping in a nodding fashion, but no, he didn’t understand.

“Ugh, forget it. Medic, get him up. I don’t care how, just do it.”

“With pleasure, Ms. Pauling.” he chimed.

“Do you happen to know where the girl went?”

“Yes, she went with the Spy-”

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME-... Thank you, Medic…” and she darted from the room once again. How she was gaining so much momentum in heels was a mystery to woman-kind, but she was determined to get that little girl out. She could only hope the Spy hadn’t done anything to her.

\--

“You said you were from France, right? I’ve never been to France.” The two were seated atop the watchtower were Sniper usually set up during battle. From there, they could see both bases and the canyons around them. Although it was a desert, there were mountains and mesas as far as the eye can see.

“It is quite different from what you may be used to.” Spy took a drag of his cigarette, exhaling rings of smoke.

“I’ve never been anywhere outside of Boston… when grandma said we would be staying in the desert, I thought I was going to hate it here, but it’s not so bad…” Mel leaned over the edge, staring out at the miles and miles of red and yellow sand, “There’s definitely more to look at when you’re riding in the car.”

The Spy glanced at her from the corner; she wasn’t much like Scout at all, aside from hair, eye color and facial structure, but the way she described her mother didn’t make it seem as though she took after her either. His thoughts were inquisitive, but at the same time, he did feel bad for her. She was so smart and wise beyond her years… It was fascinating, but quite sad. A child should never have to witness the things she had… and having Scout for a father? Well, that was just the cherry on top, now wasn’t it?

“You are a very smart little girl, Melissa. Even smarter than some grown men.”

“That’s what all my mommy’s friends say. They don’t know I’m listening when they say it, but I hear them. They also say that I know a lot of things that I shouldn’t know… but I don’t know what they mean by that.”

“You will someday.” He patted her gently on the head, “So how do you feel about your father? I mean, now that you have one.”

Mel knew someone would ask her this question, and she had been thinking about how to respond all day, but it wasn’t that easy, “I… I don’t really know. He seems nice, but I… I kinda don’t know how explain it.”

“That’s quite alright, maybe you will-

“FINALLY!” Ms.Pauling had arrived. Most of her hair had fallen out of her neatly tied bun, she was carrying her high heels and panting between words, “Thank God I found you… Spy… I need to take her…”

“Why? She is perfectly safe with me.” He stood in front of Melissa defensively.

“No Spy, she’s not… Your next mission is in-” she looked at her watch, “-2 minutes…!”

“Mr. Spy, what’s going on?”

“Nothing,” he hushed the girl, “Tell the administrator to postpone, we have a guest.”

“Spy, you have a mission because she is here. No one on the outside is supposed to know about us!”

 _Oh, Merde,_  “I see…”

Ms. Pauling came to Melissa’s side, “We have to get her out of here, or at least somewhere safe.”

“I will handle it. You must inform Scout that she is safe with me.”

-MISSION BEGINS IN 60 SECONDS-

“Are you sure?”

“You have my word, Ms. Pauling.”

Ms. Pauling nodded in affirmation before running back down the stairs. The Spy turned to Mel and put his hands on her shoulders, “Melissa, it’s going to be-

“What was she talking about? Mission? No one on the outside? Why wouldn’t I be safe here-”

“You are safe so long as you stay with me."

They ran down the stairs together, unsure of what would happen. Spy didn't dare tell her what she was about to experience.


	8. Chapter 7

5…

4…

3…

2…

1…

and so the match began.

The loud jeering of each team grew ever closer as they reach mid-field. Scout left respawn and immediately set out to find his team’s Spy. He cursed himself for letting his daughter wander off with the team’s resident backstabber. His eyes darted across the battlegrounds constantly, seeming to dodge every bullet that came his way. This new-found speed carried him across the-

-BANG-

Back to respawn.

Just a minor set-back, it wasn’t as if he couldn’t get back-

-BANGBANG-

Back at respawn.

He stepped out of the door and stared at the Blu Demoman-

-KABOOMBOOMBOOM-

Scout was feeling pretty hopeless now.

Meanwhile, Melissa and Spy skirted the outsides of the buildings as carefully as possible. Spy found out the hard way that he could not make the girl invisible like he could for himself, and the masks had no effect on her. He seemed to forget that she wasn’t ‘prepared’ for battle like the others were. Regardless, they trekked onward, the sounds of gunshots and screaming slowly becoming more grating than it was frightening.

Spy stopped.

“Stay right here.” he walked ahead into the open alleyway. Kick. Hit. SQUISH. Plop. “All clear.”

Melissa trudged forward and stared in horror at the body of the Blu Soldier, “Y-you killed him…”

“We have to move while we still-” now she was crying, “-oh, nononono, don’t- it’s fine, he’s just-” he had grown so used to these things, he’d forgotten that normal people don’t stab each other in public where kids can see. “My dear, I am sorry-”

-BANGBANGBANG-

The Blu Demoman had found them.

Without warning or hesitation, Spy picked up the girl and ran. The Demo followed them, cackling louder with every bomb he launched. Just ahead, there was a dead end; they had no choice but to run out in the open. Spy bolted forth and weaved through obstacles before him without haste. At this point, he didn’t care how he did it, he just wanted to get her out of here.

The Medic stood at his post and saw them come running through, “Spy-”

“No time to explain, Doctor!” Spy continued running.

“But Scout-” Scout had been looking for them all over, sacrificing any tactful instinct just to affirm his daughter’s safety. Medic shared in his worry, in a way; Someone you love just out of your reach finding themselves in a dangerous-

-KABOOM!!-

That didn’t sound like a normal explosion.

Medic turned around to find the Blu Demoman and Soldier (back from respawn, of course) running towards Red base. Demo had his sticky bombs and Soldier his rocket launcher, they were firing in a synchronized fashion, creating chaotic explosions wherever they went. Medic found himself in respawn within moments, unable to warn anyone of what was coming.

-

Scout’s heart dropped when the first one hit. The range on that thing was huge! Scout had almost infiltrated Blu base, but if he didn’t go back he knew he would regret it. Why would the Blu’s take his daughter anyway?

-

The Spy lept behind the broad pile of rubble, escaping the heat from the blast. He looked down at Melissa who clung to his chest, her body trembling in fear. “Fear not, we’re almost there…”

“I don’t like this, Mr.Spy… I wanna go home…”

“It’s almost over, I promise.” Once the smoke cleared enough to see, they went out once more. Red base was in view, he could almost feel the air conditioning from where they stood, “See, I would never lie to-”

-SHHHINK-

Spy fell to his knees, releasing the child from his grasp. Blu Sniper. He grinned at his now bloody  knife. “Ya think you can keep secrets from us?” He pulled out his rifle and aimed for the confused little girl, “Shouldn’t be able to miss this close…”

His finger rested on the trigger, ready to fire the moment she stood up.

“N-no…!” Spy summoned his strength to grab the barrel of the gun, pulling him down. The Sniper’s hand instinctively pulled the trigger, regardless of where it aimed.

-BANG-

 

The canyon fell silent.

Any sound, any movement, had been drowned out by that one bullet.

Even after the intercom announced the Blu’s victory, nobody moved.

And the completely stunned silence was broken the moment Scout finally appeared.

“Where is he…” Scout looked at the sullen faces of his team, “WHERE IS HE!?!?”

The smoke had cleared. Spy was on his knees, his back facing the team, “What did you do.”

The Spy did not respond

“WHAT DID YOU DO?!”


	9. Chapter 8

And so began the evening Scout thought would never end.

“Scout... I didn’t-”

“SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP!” Scout ran to his daughter’s side, cursing under his breath. If you asked him today, he still wouldn’t be able to pinpoint the moment he started crying; all he’d tell you is how pained his daughter’s expression was; she didn’t scream, she didn’t struggle, nor did she immediately respond to her father lifting her from the ground. But she was alive; a miraculous silver lining despite the situation, but it wasn’t enough for Scout.

“... this is all your fault.” He stood up with the bloody child in his arms, “You let this happen!” he stormed towards Spy, fueled by an anger that none could match, “I am going to rip you limb from limb-!!!” Heavy and Demoman quickly stepped in, restraining his arms.

"Scout, there is no time for this!" The Heavy squeezed his wrists until he finally complied, "Doktor..."

"Say no more, my friend," Medic approached Scout, harboring the noblest of intentions, "We must be-"

"Oh, hell no! I'm not letting you anywhere near her, you sick freak!"

"She will  _die_  if we wait any longer!!"

His gaze was cold, though he knew the doctor was right. He recoiled in submission, handing off Melissa, "... I know..." and like that, Medic and Heavy bolted to the infirmary post-haste.

The other seven men shared an anxious gaze upon eachother, unsure what to think. The Demoman, still restraining Scout by his arm, released his grip, "Aye... I'm real sorry, lad..." he gave him a manly, yet sympathetic, pat on the back, "I'll save you a few drinks for later..." He kneeled beside the Spy (who, incase you don't remember, still has a lovely stab wound in his back,) and helped him to his feet. Walking back to the base, the two kept their voices down, "You didn't mean for it to happen, did you?"

"Of course not...-" he paused to hiss in pain, "To tell the truth... she reminded me of someone... someone very important to me..."

And truth be told, that someone was one of the few reasons he regretted leaving his home. It hurt him to think about... all who he had abandoned.

Speaking of hurt, Scout wasn't feeling too hot either. He was so embarrassed and angry that he let something like this happen. What was he gonna tell Janet? What was he gonna tell his ma? How was-

"Scout? It's just me..." Ms. Pauling invited herself in and sat by his side, "I... I can't imagine how you feel..."

 _Believe me, you don't wanna._ Scout sighed heavily, slumping over on the bench.

“I know this is probably the last thing you want to think about, but what are you going to tell your mother? Isn't she expecting you soon?"

“I... I just don't know. What am I supposed to say? Oh, hey ma, just wanted you to know that I almost got my child killed and now she's bleeding out in some unlicensed wackjob's pigeon infested basement in a military base that I work at that you're not supposed to know about. No big deal, right?"

“Scout, this was a genuine accident. Spy didn't mean to-"

“Don't even  _talk_  about him." Scout snarled.

“Okay. Fine. But we have to do something. I know how he works and Medic won't be able to do this in one evening."  _Especially without some form of narcotics..._

“Well what am I supposed to do? I'm an unfit parent and my kid got shot the first time I got to see her."

“You're really hung up on that. Fine, I'll figure something out. Under one condition..." She touched his cheek, engaging Tue contact with him, “You run to that little girl's side the moment she wakes up and you stay there. She needs you now more than ever." She gently kissed his face and gave him a warm side hug; what a pick-me-up. “I'm gonna go see about delaying a flight. Hang in there, Scout..."

And there she left him to lament in private.

On her way out, she visited the Engineer, “Hey Engie.”

“Hello again, Ms. Pauling. Do you want to see those new rocket boosters I’ve fixed up now?” he crossed his arms over his sentry gun, smiled cocked to the side akin to a southern gentleman.

“No- actually… maybe. Listen, I need your help.”

“With what exactly?”

“I need you and Pyro to help me delay a flight.”

His kind smile slowly twisted into a sadistic smirk, he kicked his toolbox shut and twirled his wrench with his gloved hand,“When do we start?”


	10. Chapter 9

-ring ring-

-ring ring-

“-Hello? Scout?”

“Yeah, hey ma.”

“I’ve been waiting here for hours, where are you two!?”

“I uh, Melissa kinda… is gonna stay here tonight…”

“Oh I see… the two of you are bonding so quickly you’re inseparable!”

“Uh-”

“I was hoping this would happen! Ok, our flight leaves at 8 tomorrow, just get her back by then! Love you, my big grown up boy!”

“Ma, don’t-”

-dial tone-

“- call me that.” he hung up the phone, sighing heavily, “What have I gotten myself into?”

“It does seem like quite the predicament.”

Scout looked to the doorway, scowling, “Go away, Spy.”

He sat down in the chair beside him, “I don’t suppose you are ready to talk?”

“No, I’m not. Now get out before I beat your fat, ugly face in!!”

“I’m afraid I cannot do that.” He reached into one of his breast pockets and handed him what looked to be Melissa’s hat. (Believe me, I could fit a kindle fire HD in one of those pockets.)

He snatched up the hat, still scowling, “... Go on.”

\--

Medic had been going non-stop from the moment they ran into the infirmary. He scoured the cabinets and drawers for his actual medical supplies. Thanks to the beauty of respawn, he rarely had to use them, with exceptions to the quarrels and fights some of them got into off of the field. Doesn’t it just seem like you can never find what you’re looking for when you need it the most? It’s a struggle most humans face. He cursed himself frequently throughout the endeavor, flinging unnecessary bit of equipment and leftovers from previous experiments.

Heavy had tagged along, as usual. In battle, Medic was his true right hand, it only seemed fair that Heavy be his (unofficial) right hand in his studies. Having said that, it only seemed correct that he’d be the one carrying the patient-to-be. He remembered having to cater to his sisters in a similar fashion when he was much younger. They’d take a tumble in the snow, twist an ankle and ride in his arms back to the house; it felt so tedious then, but he cherished those memories now…

But of course, none of his sisters had ever been shot in the stomach like this (or ever, for that matter.)

“Heavy! Put her down now, I’ve got the stuff!” he came waddling over with an armful of medical equipment and drugs, “Now all we have to do is the procedure itself!”

Heavy laid Melissa down, watching her drift in and out of consciousness, “Doktor, why not use medi-gun instead?”

He paused for a moment, “I… don’t know, actually… It’s worth a try, though!” he stepped away from his disorganized pile of junk and turned it on. He pulled the lever and...

Nothing.

“Well… That’s odd. I mean, I knew that it wouldn’t work, yet…” it had just occurred to him that he never asked himself why it worked on his team and not on other people, “Huh… I never really-”

Heavy glared at the Medic impatiently.

 

**[The possible sexual implications of this scenario are purely unintentional, I do not support acts of pedophilia. And honestly, he’s a doctor. If anything, he should be desensitized to the sight of shirtless people.]**

 

***Shears- this is what they call the fancy scissors that EMTs and firefighters use. It can cut through almost anything, but it is most useful to cut through fabric when doctors are trying to get to one’s open wounds or cut them free if they are caught on something that acts as a hinderance.**

 

“-Oh, yes, of course.” He raided his pile for his pair of shears* and proceeded to cut open her shirt, “I need you to make sure she is breathing. There is no time at the moment to hook up any equipment.” he had to be careful; if he pulled the fabric away too quickly, her body would go into shock. Not to mention, her shirt was the only thing (aside from Heavy’s hands) that had been used to apply pressure to the area. Slowly peeling away the shirt, she started to struggle, “Ach! Nonononono, my darling, it’s okay..!” He gently stroked her cheek in attempt to comfort her.

Heavy watched inquisitively… Had he done this before?- Well, of course he had, he’s a battle medic, but that’s not what he meant, per say… He was being careful, for once. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but this definitely was different.

“Heavy, did you hear me? I said I need my table closer.” Heavy snapped back into the situation, noticing Medic’s hands pressing gently against her bloody abdomen, feeling for the bullet.

“Oh! Yes. Right. On it…”

 

\--

“When I was still in France, I was in love with a beautiful woman named Elise.”

Scout slumped over knowing that he could be stuck there a while.

“I won’t talk too much about her… but she had a child, Katerina… Her husband had left her a year or two prior to our first meeting and she never truly came over it…”

“Kay… So what?”

“I fell in love with her. I was captivated by her intellect and knowledge despite her age-”

“You’re freakin’ sick!”

“I don’t mean love in that way! I mean… I mean that I knew that I wanted to protect her and love her like the father she never truly had. And I did.”

“You’re starting to lose me-”

“When I met your daughter, it was almost like seeing a shadow… and I just…”

It was starting to make sense now, but Scout still had one question, “Well, where is she right now?”

“In France with her mother… by now she must be around 18…”

“Do you still talk?”

“No. I lost all contact with anyone I used to know when I joined this company. And, due to other reasons, I am also presumed to be dead.”

It was uncommon to see the Spy speak so sincerely, every other interaction they had prior had alluded to the fact that he despised Scout and saw him as nothing more than a distraction. It was almost as though Spy had a heart afterall. “I uh…” he cleared his throat, “I’m sorry to hear that…”

“I don’t expect you to forgive me.”

“No, no, I’m just… it depends, really.”

Spy smirked softly, “I suppose it does.”


	11. Chapter 10

At this point, Medic had long since finished operating on Mel. It was a miraculous coincidence that the bullet didn’t go all the way through her side, so it worked in her favor there, HOWEVER, the way it was positioned inside her made it impossible to remove without causing her to bleed out, so it had to be left in. So Medic sewed her up, cleaned up the wound, everything was coming up roses, right?

Wrong.

There was still one big problem left…

 

“You’re in luck! Everything went as smoothly as possible and she will make a full recovery.”

Scout exhaled in relief, overjoyed by the news, “Oh thank GOD.  What’s she doing now?”

“She woke up a few minutes ago, she’s-”

Scout pushed Medic aside and ran through the infirmary doors, practically tripping over his non-existant shoelaces to get to his daughter.

For a moment, he had forgotten all his anxieties about parenthood, he wondered why he even was afraid to begin with. Seeing her there, totally alive and safe, was like seeing an angel straight from Heaven’s bathhouse. He gathered himself as he approached her beside, keeping his cool guy facade intact, “Hey kiddo.”

Her voice was soft, but not unenthusiastic, “Hey…”

“Found this out there,” He pulled her hat out from his waistband, dusting off the top, “Thought you might want it back.”

Without hesitation, she snatched the hat and put it back on, “I thought it was lost for sure this time, it keeps falling off.”

“Well, I’ve been known to have a pretty fat head, so that doesn’t surprise me.”

She certainly got a kick out of that, but her tone quickly changed directions, “Am I gonna get in trouble for this?”

“What? No way! What makes you think you’d get in trouble for this? If anyone should be punished, it should be Spy.”

“Please don’t punish Mr. Spy!” she begged.

“And why shouldn’t we?” he was genuinely curious to hear her answer.

“Because he told me he was trying to help you out by being a good friend…”

_Being a good friend? Is that what they call kidnapping nowadays?_  “Well, that’s no excuse for endangering-”

“He told me about your friend Ms. Pauling and how you saved her from a big monster that ate bullets and stuff! He said,” She cleared her throat and put on her best french accent, “Your father has more guts than anyone I’ve ever met. If you can’t trust me to protect you, you can always trust him.”

“He… he actually said that?”

“Uhuh. Then I asked Dr. Medic about it and he said that you did have a few extra guts! But I think he was just kidding.”

“Ehhh… I don’t think he was.”

The door swung open; In strut Ms. Pauling and Pyro, both of which were covered in a sooty black substance, “Where do you guys keep the towels?”

Scout’s attention shifted to the visitors, “What the hell happened to you guys?”

“We had some business to attend to…”

The door opened again, “Ms. Pauling, what do you want me to do with this plane engine-” She forced the door shut.

“The 8:00 to Boston has been delayed. That’s all you need to know.”

Scout chuckled softly, “Thanks, I owe you one.”

“You owe me quite a few at this point.” she retorted.

Melissa tapped on her dad’s shoulder and whispered, “That’s Ms. Pauling, right?”

“Yeah…?”

“Then who’s the other person…?” she pointed at Pyro, who had been entertaining himself with a few cotton balls and a lighter.

“Them? Oh, that’s Pyro.” Looking back in his direction, Pyro was now juggling the cotton balls while they were on fire, “I wouldn’t get too close to him…”

“Hey Scout? Can I talk to you outside?” Ms. Pauling stood by the door patiently.

“Uh, sure.” He followed her out into the hallway.

She waited until they were far enough from the door, then she turned and slapped him across the face, “What were you thinking?!?!”

“What?! What did I do wrong NOW?!”

“Did it occur to you that maybe SOMEONE would notice the huge bullet hole wound in her side?!”

“What are you talking about, we just-”

“Scout, you need stitches to close a wound like that.  _STITCHES LEAVES SCARS_.”

Oh.

“And someone is going to ask about those scars and it’s all going to point back here.”

She was right; this could be an even bigger catastrophe if they didn’t do something, “Shit, you’re right, but what are we supposed to do? You can’t just instantly heal shit like that, right?”

Ms. Pauling froze. Scout shortly followed.

They had the answer.

“Ah shit.”


	12. Chapter 11

Ms. Pauling walked into Medic’s workspace area of the infirmary with an open mind and a conscience full of anxiety, “Medic? You over here?”

“Just a moment!” he rolled out from behind a screen holding a wrench and a scalpel, “Hello, Ms. Pauling! What brings you over here?”

She rocked on her heels, looking for the correct phrase, “I uh, I need a favor of you.”

“Absolutely! Anything for you.”

“I need you to use the medi-gun on Scout’s daughter.”

He laughed heartily, “Believe me, Ms. Pauling, I tried. For some reason it does not work on her.”

She cursed under her breath, “I was afraid of that. Do you know why though?”

“I’ve actually been searching for an answer for that, so far I can only conclude that-”

“Australium is what makes it work.” she interrupted, as if she already knew the answer, “Do you have any?”

“Um, no… They have supplied me with lots of chemicals and things, but never any Australium.”

She groaned loudly, “JUST perfect.”

“Regardless, why do you want me to continue operating on Scout’s daughter? I’ve done all I can.”

“Because if he sends her home with a giant scar like that, someone is going to ask questions. And if they ask questions, it will all point back to Scout and he’ll never get to see her again. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, though; if all this goes down, Mann. Co. will be held responsible, the bases will be discovered and you all will lose your jobs.”

Medic paused, “I see.”

“And now I have to go steal Australium from the company’s private reserve, which will get me fired in heartbeat if they ever find out…” Ms. Pauling leaned on the wall, gently massaging her temples, “This is going to be a long day…”

“Perhaps I may be able to help.” like a scene from a B-list drama movie, Spy appeared in the archway seemingly from thin air.

“Spy, I don’t think-”

“It is my fault that this happened in the first place. It is the very least I can do.”

“He does have a significant advantage, Ms. Pauling,” Medic intervened.

“I know! I know. I just…” this decision weighed heavily on her heart, what was she supposed to do? Go and get the stuff herself, get fired and leave the men on their own or send Spy and risk losing one of the finest mercs that Mann Co. had ever seen? Letting the girl go home to her mom with a bullet in her side was not an option at this point, and any other plans would take too long to execute, so what other option was there? “Spy… you know you’re risking your job, your life and Scout’s parental reputation, right?”

“I am completely aware. And believe me, I am not doing it for Scout.”

The choice had been made; no going back now, “Then let’s get you ready…”

\--

“The flight’s been delayed? Oh no, that’s horrible, ma!” Scout tried his very best to act surprised while talking to his mother on the phone, “Oh no, I’m more than ok with keeping her here! Yeah! No problem! … Kay…. kay… Alright, I’ll see you then! Bye ma!” He slammed the phone down and let out a relaxed sigh. At least that was one less thing to worry about. He turned around and was greet by Ms. Pauling and the Spy, “Oh hey guys. What did you find out?”

Ms. Pauling stepped forth, “Well we have a solution to our problem now…”

“Great! What is it?”

“Spy has to go get it…”

Scout was confused, “I don’t… What do you mean by that?”

Ms. Pauling carefully explained how the medi-gun interacts with Australium in the body, there was a lot of chemistry and biological correctness that went right out the window, but none of it was a lie, “It’s the reason behind respawn, it’s the reason behind teleporters and it’s really our only option-”

“No way. Nah uh. I’m not letting my kid get turned into a freak like us!”

“Unless you want to lose your job and your family, you don’t have a choice!”

She was right and Scout knew it. He had just started being a father, he needed more time if he were ever to become a good one.

“Fear not, Scout; I will treat this mission as if I were doing it for one of my own.” Spy winked at Scout, hoping he got the message.

“... Alright. But you better not bail on me or get anyone else killed.”

“On my honor, I promise you I won’t.”


	13. Chapter 12

“... So there’s sixty seconds left on the clock, I’m sweatin’ bullets and the suitcase is nowhere in sight. I’m mowin’ down Blues left and right with everything I got! It’s like a video game; I jump on their heads and bam! They’re gone! A real sight to see. Then! On the horizon, I see the Pyro run down the hill in a blaze of glory! Heavy is right behind him, suitcase in tow! I can’t believe my eyes here! Heavy shouts, ‘Scout! Run!’ and throws the suitcase right before the Blu’s eyes! Naturally, I caught it. And now here I am running through Red base a mile a minute with ten seconds left and the halls are lined with sticky bombs. I’m dodgin’ left and right tryin’ to get the briefcase to home base with five seconds left. I had no choice but to take a leap of faith straight through the doorway. Smoke and fire comin’ at me from all angles, I was so close to the line! My heart’s racin’, my whole body is sweatin’, my life flashes before my eyes and THEN…

I made it with two seconds to spare.”

“That’s amazing…” Melissa had been listening to her dad tell stories for almost two hours now, each one that much more interesting than the next.

“Yeah, it would be if it were true.” Ms. Pauling added. She, too, had been listening to Scout’s stories. It was actually quite entertaining to hear how highly Scout thought of himself and how much that Melissa believed of it. Well… considering the fact that she had seen some pretty improbable things within the last day... it wasn’t as unfathomable as she originally thought. And at the same time, she was pleasantly surprised how well Scout was doing despite only being a parent for a day. She had seen him struggle to correctly order fast food from a waiter who was not female or even compliment someone without trying to flirt with them and yet he managed to do in one day what most parents struggle to do in 18 years; connect with their child.

The best part about it, though? He wasn’t even trying.

Scout smirked devilishly at his lovely mistress(to-be) and pulled her over to him by the seat of her chair, “And let’s not forget about the time I saved Ms. Pauling from an evil loaf of bread. That’s a really good one.”

Ms. Pauling laughed softly, “That it is, Scout, but maybe you should let Melissa here get some rest.”

“But I’m not even tired!” She sat up in bed, “If I’m going to be the best scout ever, I gotta hear about what I’ll be fighting against!”

“The best scout ever, eh? We’ll see about that!” It was rather endearing to Scout that his daughter wanted to be just like him, but being a scout was a bit more than it was cracked up to be. Despite all she had been exposed to, this was only the tip of the iceberg.

“Let’s go, Scout,” Ms. Pauling ushered him to the door, “Goodnight, Melissa.” She smiled softly before the two of them disappeared into the hall, “Come on, I think I owe you a drink.”

\--

At night, the small corner of the garage Engineer hadn’t occupied turned into the Red team’s makeshift bar and poker center, complete with low-hanging lights and second-hand cigar smoke looming over head. Ms. Pauling and Scout stood back and watched the other men play a game they liked to call ‘Dirty Blackjack.’ According to Soldier, it was like Blackjack but for “real” men. Personally, Scout found it funner to watch than to partake. Who really wants to get punched when they draw anything higher than 5? Ms. Pauling handed him a bottle of Teufort’s finest (no really, that’s the name) while she casually sipped a much tamer spirit.

She leaned against the back wall, “I must admit, you’re a lot better at being a father than I expected you to be,” she looked down at her drink, “I’m actually really proud of you…”

“Don’t say that, I still got time to fuck it up!” he nudged her shoulder and chuckled softly, masking his sincerity with his humor, “I’m actually really surprised myself. Me and her are so alike, I don’t even know that happened. I’m all the way out here and she’s all the way over there and yet…”

“It doesn’t surprise me; I mean, you both had a similar upbringing, right? People are molded by their experiences, not their parents.”

“I… I guess you’re right.” raised without a father, constantly distressed mother, being forced to grow up faster to handle the reality that surrounded them… God, he hated himself for making her experience that. He wouldn’t wish that life upon his worst enemy. “But I won’t let it happen. Not again.” and suddenly all those lessons teachers taught about learning from other people’s  mistakes made sense; it was never to better you, it was to better those around you. He smiled at his sudden revelation and raised his bottle once more, “I’ll drink to that.”

And all was okay for a brief few hours.

And it ended once more as the garage door arose.

In drove the company vehicle covered in fresh bulletholes and broken glass. You could hear the engine give out the  moment it came to a jilted stop. The Spy rolled out of the front seat, casually striding forth despite his obvious limp amongst his other injuries. Medic rose from his seat as he passed, but he ushered him aside, determined to carry out his task completely.

“I have done as you requested, Ms. Pauling.” He pulled from his pocket a small box about the size of a package of butter, “Take good care of her…”

And with that, he passed out.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a little insight that applies to this chapter, I don't want to confuse anybody by describing a scenario that is affected by my headcanon and I don't mention what that headcanon is. So this is for you guys.
> 
> According to Mann Co.’s laws of life and death, respawn, teleporters, and uber charges only worked within the walls of a base owned by Mann Co.; any injuries or deaths outside these locations would result in permanent death or injury.
> 
> The mercs had found over the years that there were two loopholes within this mechanic.
> 
> 1\. If you were within at least 20 miles of any of the bases, you could still respawn and what have you.
> 
> 2\. If someone died outside of that 20 mile perimeter, their body could be brought back to base and they would respawn.
> 
> But there are no loopholes for injuries (which is why Demoman still has an eyepatch despite going through respawn several thousand times) outside this field. 
> 
> An injury implies something that would cause permanent damage to one's skeleton, organs and/or state of their body.
> 
> Examples:
> 
> If you lose a limb on the field, you could be healed and/or respawn and still have an arm. If it happened outside of the field, if you still have the limb in your posession, you can respawn with it if you return to base in time.
> 
> If you get stabbed in the stomach (on or off the field), you can be healed and still be fine and dandy. If it happened off the field, though, you'd still feel a weakness and sensetivity in your stomach and it would heal at a regular pace.
> 
> If you break a bone in the field, you're fine after being healed or respawning. Outside the field, you could heal the external scar, but the bone would be treated like normal.

It was almost 3 AM when Ms. Pauling and Scout went to the garage for drinks, 3:15 when Spy passed out. 6 AM, Spy found himself laid up covered in gauze and what appeared to be (dove) feathers only three or four feet away from his comrade’s sleeping daughter. His mask had been removed and set on the table beside him, he tried to reach for it with his ‘better’ hand; he stretched his right left arm across his chest, careful not to lean on his side. As expected, his attempt was both pitiful and futile. Come to think of it, he realized he wouldn’t even be able to put it on with one hand or even extend his arm far enough to try. Luckily, nobody was awake to see him unmasked and vulnerable.

“Mr. Spy…?”

I spoke too soon.

Melissa sat up, sporting an untamed look from Vogue magazine’s bedhead issue, and crawled out of her blankets and came to his side, “What happened to you…?”

In a lazy attempt to cover his face, Spy rubbed his eyes sleepily as he faced her, “I got in a car wreck...”

“But there are bullet holes in your shirt…”

“... after I got in a bar fight?” there was no way she was buying in to his pathetic story, “Ugh. Fine. I was doing something for a friend. Stealing something.”

She sat herself on the side of his bed, “But… stealing is wrong.”

He covered his face with his left hand, “I know, my dear, I know.”

She saw his mask on the bedside table and grabbed it, “... Why do you wear this thing?”

“It’s just part of the uniform.”

“But you wear it even when you’re not working…”

“Force of habit.”

She frowned; Melissa had been hoping for a more interesting answer, “Well I don’t like it.”

“We all have bad habits, child. We cannot help it.”

“... Well, your habits aren’t all that bad…”

_If you only knew._

“I mean, stealing is bad… but wearing a mask isn’t bad… I don’t get why you want to, though.”

He paused, then sighed heavily moving his hand,“Nor do I.”

Melissa’s smile was now bigger than ever.

“What are you smiling about?”

“I made a secret spy reveal his identity!”

Spy smiled warmly, “That doesn’t happen every day, you know. I hope you are good at keeping secrets.”

She nodded, “Cross my heart, your secret is safe with me, Mr. Spy!”

“Please. Call me Casimir.”


	15. Chapter 14 [End of Book 1]

It was a simple operation; Step 1: melt down the Australium into its thinnest liquid form. Step 2: inject the liquid Australium into the patient’s veins. Step 3: Use Medi-gun to instantly heal scar. Problem solved. Months of recovery made possible in 5 seconds flat.

Medic had performed the ‘operation’ before Scout had even woken up. It was pleasantly surprising to find his child kneeled beside him on the couch where he fell asleep. She looked so cute in with his high school ballcap sitting slightly off center over her honey-

blonde hair. He yawned half-heartedly while he patted her head, “Hey kiddo…” she giggled ever so softly as his hand descended upon her head, “What’s so funny…?”

“He looks even better when he’s awake.” Ms. Pauling chimed from the other side of the couch. Scout turned over and noticed her holding a see-thru bag full of nail polish and makeup.

He didn’t even have to look in the mirror to know what just happened to him, “Very funny, you two. Very funny…”

Mel reached over him and gave Ms. Pauling a low-handed high five, “Mr. Heavy and Mr. Demoman didn’t mind when we gave them makeovers…”

Scout sat up and noticed the two burly men sitting beside each other blowing on their bright pink nails and struggling to drink their coffee without smudging their lipstick.

Soldier appeared from the kitchen, holding a pink hairbrush and mirror, “ Scout-Princess Melissa Sir, I thought I was next in line for a makeover!!”

“Of course you are, Soldier! Have a seat in my makeover throne.” Melissa gestured to the recliner which had been decorated with a pink sheet and sparkly pillows. She took the foundation compact from the side table and worked her magic.

Scout was completely dumbfounded by the scene. He turned to Ms. Pauling and asked, “Am I in Hell?” without an iota of sarcasm.

All Ms.Pauling could do was laugh. “She may be your child, but she is still a girl.” she sat down beside him, smiling warmly, “She showed me her Barbies earlier. They were all wearing baseball uniforms.”

“Wow. Insightful.”

“Come on, that says a lot about her personality! Don’t tell me you can’t see that.”

“Oh, I see it. That’s not the problem.”

“Then what IS the problem?”

“The problem is-!” he pulled Ms. Pauling into the hallway, “The problem is that I don’t want her to end up like me. Living in someone’s shadow, waiting by the phone for their sorry excuse for a father to finally call, to give her someone to look up to and let her down.”

“Scout…” She turned his face toward hers and gave him a soft kiss. “I know that nothing I tell you right now is going to change what you feel… but I urge you, enjoy this time while you still have it.”

That Ms. Pauling, she certainly had a way with words. Hell, she made Scout believe he was a good father, didn’t she? Technically, that’s not an opinion, but Scout didn’t believe it to begin with and now he seemed ready to turn in his application for father of the year. It’s funny how women could impact his life so much despite how little he understood them. Now that’s a real force of nature.

\--

Melissa had successfully beautified eight out of nine members of the Red Team; even Pyro had agreed to letting the little girl cover his mask in layers of glitter and bedazzle the rims around his eye hole lenses. The only one she hadn’t had a chance to do was Spy. She ran into the infirmary, compact brush in hand, “Mr. Spy!?” his bed was empty. She walked over to it and noticed a pile of discarded gauze and bandages, “Casimir?” the room was completely empty. Upon the side table sat Spy’s mask, one opened letter and an envelope with Scout’s name across the front.  She ran back out to the commons room and immediately approached Medic.

“Melissa, what is it-”

“Casimir is gone!”

**What will happen next? Keep an eye out for Family Time #2: Spy!**


End file.
